88th Pennsylvania Volunteers In Action

88th Pennsylvania Volunteers In Action	HOME DATA PAGES 88TH IN ACTION PHOTO GALLERY

	Photos (Press on photo for source info & credits)	Battle Overview from the American Memory Library of Congress

Cedar Mountain	Hutson's House	Cedar Mountain Other Names: Slaughter’s Mountain, Cedar Run Location: Culpeper County, Virginia Campaign: Northern Virginia Campaign (June-September 1862) Date(s): August 9, 1862 Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. Nathaniel Banks [US]; Maj. Gen. Thomas J. Jackson [CS] Forces Engaged: 24,898 total (US 8,030; CS 16,868) Estimated Casualties: 2,707 total (US 1,400; CS 1,307) Description: Maj. Gen. John Pope was placed in command of the newly constituted Army of Virginia on June 26. Gen. Robert E. Lee responded to Pope’s dispositions by dispatching Maj. Gen. T.J. Jackson with 14,000 men to Gordonsville in July. Jackson was later reinforced by A.P. Hill’s division. In early August, Pope marched his forces south into Culpeper County with the objective of capturing the rail junction at Gordonsville. On August 9, Jackson and Maj. Gen. Nathaniel Banks’s corps tangled at Cedar Mountain with the Federals gaining an early advantage. A Confederate counterattack led by A.P. Hill repulsed the Federals and won the day. Confederate general William Winder was killed. This battle shifted fighting in Virginia from the Peninsula to Northern Virginia, giving Lee the initiative. Result(s): Confederate victory Source: Battle Summary: Cedar Mountain, VA Other Links: Battle of Cedar Mountain

Manassas (2nd Battle of Bull Run)	Virginia. Locomotive on the Orange & Alexandria Railroad Cedar Mountain, Va. Battlefield viewed from the west Dedication of the monument on the Bull Run battlefield 6-10-1865 (E) Early postcard titled, "Stone House - Bull Run Battlefield, VA'' published by Dowell's Pharmacy, Manassas and printed by the Albertype Co. (E)	August 1862 -- Pope's Campaign. Union General John Pope suffered defeated at the Second Battle of Bull Run on August 29-30. General Fitz-John Porter was held responsible for the defeat because he had failed to commit his troops to battle quickly enough; he was forced out of the army by 1863. Generals Lee, Longstreet and Jackson, August 29, 1862. On the rolling fields of Manassas the battle unfolded before them. From the crest of Stuart's Hill, Generals Robert E. lee, James Longstreet and Stonewall Jackson watched as lee's Confederates engaged General John Pope's Federal troops in a distant swirl of dust and smoke. Jackson had opened the battle the day before, stunning Pope's troops with a mighty blow at nearby Groveton. Now Pope had launched the first in a series of uncoordinated Federal assaults that yielded his army nothing but bloody losses. On August 29th, Lee and Longstreet joined forces with Jackson at Manassas Junction. They joined him and watched as battle again engulfed the countryside below, where the war's first major land battle had occurred one summer earlier. The next day, Jackson and his gray-clad veterans would again stand against the enemy at Manassas like a stone wall; Longstreet would launch a shattering attack against Pope's poorly led force; and the Federal Army again would flee this ground. The Battle of Second Manassas would prove to be one of Robert E. Lee's most masterful victories, stalling the Northern advance on Richomnd and clearing the way for Lee's 1862 Northern invasion. Southern triumph and Northern failure would again cloak the northern Virginia countryside; and Lee, Jackson and Longstreet would be remembered as the commanders of Manassas.

Antietam	Antietam, Md. President Lincoln and Gen. George B. McClellan in the general's tent. Topic TWO here Topic FOUR here Topic FIVE here	September 1862 -- The Battle of Antietam. On September 17, Confederate forces under General Lee were caught by General McClellan near Sharpsburg, Maryland. This battle proved to be the bloodiest day of the war; 2,108 Union soldiers were killed and 9,549 wounded -- 2,700 Confederates were killed and 9,029 wounded. The battle had no clear winner, but because General Lee withdrew to Virginia, McClellan was considered the victor. The battle convinced the British and French -- who were contemplating official recognition of the Confederacy -- to reserve action, and gave Lincoln the opportunity to announce his Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation (September 22), which would free all slaves in areas rebelling against the United States, effective January 1, 1863. The Army of the Potomac remained in possession of the field, and the photographers were able to work over it thoroughly immediately after the battle of September 17. One can witness President Lincoln's visit to McClellan's headquarters, and follow the army across the Potomac at Berlin (present day Brunswick, Maryland) and into re-occupied Harper's Ferry.

\|Fredericksburg I	Fredericksburg, Va. View of town from Tyler's Battery Fredericksburg, Va. Marye house, with rifle pits in front Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside (reading newspaper) with Mathew B. Brady (nearest tree) at Army of the Potomac headquarters Burnside at Fredericksburg	December 1862 -- The Battle of Fredericksburg. General McClellan's slow movements, combined with General Lee's escape, and continued raiding by Confederate cavalry, dismayed many in the North. On November 7, Lincoln replaced McClellan with Major-General Ambrose E. Burnside. Burnside's forces were defeated in a series of attacks against entrenched Confederate forces at Fredericksburg, Virginia, and Burnside was replaced with General Joseph Hooker. Other Names: Marye’s Heights Location: Spotsylvania County and Fredericksburg Campaign: Fredericksburg Campaign (November-December 1862) Date(s): December 11-15, 1862 Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside [US]; Gen. Robert E. Lee [CS] Forces Engaged: 172,504 total (US 100,007; CS 72,497) Estimated Casualties: 17,929 total (US 13,353; CS 4,576) Description: On November 14, Burnside, now in command of the Army of the Potomac, sent a corps to occupy the vicinity of Falmouth near Fredericksburg. The rest of the army soon followed. Lee reacted by entrenching his army on the heights behind the town. On December 11, Union engineers laid five pontoon bridges across the Rappahannock under fire. On the 12th, the Federal army crossed over, and on December 13, Burnside mounted a series of futile frontal assaults on Prospect Hill and Marye’s Heights that resulted in staggering casualties. Meade’s division, on the Union left flank, briefly penetrated Jackson’s line but was driven back by a counterattack. Union generals C. Feger Jackson and George Bayard, and Confederate generals Thomas R.R. Cobb and Maxey Gregg were killed. On December 15, Burnside called off the offensive and recrossed the river, ending the campaign. Burnside initiated a new offensive in January 1863, which quickly bogged down in the winter mud. The abortive “Mud March” and other failures led to Burnside’s replacement by Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker in January 1863. Result(s): Confederate victory. Source: Heritage Preservation Series, CWSAC Battlefield Summaries: Fredericksburg Other Links: Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park

Gettysburg	Leading Union Officers present at the Battle of Gettysburg	July 1863 -- The Battle of Gettysburg

Mine Run		Nov-Dec 1863 -- Mine Run Campaign Other Names: Payne’s Farm, New Hope Church Location: Orange County Campaign: Mine Run Campaign (November- December 1863) Date(s): November 27-December 2, 1863 Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. George G. Meade [US]; Gen. Robert E. Lee [CS] Forces Engaged: Armies: 114,069 total (US 69,643; CS 44,426) Estimated Casualties: 1,952 total (US 1,272; CS 680) Description: Payne’s Farm and New Hope Church were the first and heaviest clashes of the Mine Run Campaign. In late November 1863, Meade attempted to steal a march through the Wilderness and strike the right flank of the Confederate army south of the Rapidan River. Maj. Gen. Jubal A. Early in command of Ewell's Corps marched east on the Orange Turnpike to meet the advance of William French’s III Corps near Payne’s Farm. Carr’s division (US) attacked twice. Johnson’s division (CS) counterattacked but was scattered by heavy fire and broken terrain. After dark, Lee withdrew to prepared field fortifications along Mine Run. The next day the Union army closed on the Confederate position. Skirmishing was heavy, but a major attack did not materialize. Meade concluded that the Confederate line was too strong to attack and retired during the night of December 1-2, ending the winter campaign. Result(s): Inconclusive Source: Heritage Preservation Series, CWSAC Battlefield Summaries: Mine Run